Pavel Fedotov. fresh cavalier

In our new section, we will tell and show the most significant paintings for the events of our history and not only try to decipher the colorful details that are well understood by the artist’s contemporaries, but also show that paintings often live for a very long time and reflect problems that are well known even today. Let's start with the eternal theme - the Russian bureaucracy. Even today it is by no means ideal and often comes across in various abuses. 170 years ago, during the time of Emperor Nicholas I, the shortcomings of officials were in many respects the same as those that the observant artist Pavel Fedotov showed in his ageless picture.

ironic realist

Pavel Andreevich Fedotov (1815-1852), who lived for a very short time, but managed to become famous, for the first time in the Russian everyday genre tried to give a critical analysis of everyday life. The painter's father was a military man, and Fedotov himself served in St. Petersburg, where he attended evening classes at the Academy of Arts. In 1846 he produced his first significant painting, The Fresh Cavalier. In 1848, the no less famous "Courtship of a Major" was written. The paintings of the first years are characterized by irony and sharpness of plots, and later Fedotov also mastered the art of psychological drama, an example of this in his later paintings The Widow (1851) and The Players (1852). The images of the artist hit the mark - already at the end of the 1840s, many painters appeared who imitated Fedotov.

Pavel Fedotov, Major's Matchmaking (1848)

Eye of censorship

Fedotov's painting, painted in 1846, bore several names at once: "The Fresh Cavalier", or "The Morning of the Official Who Received the First Cross", or "The Consequences of the Feast". Now it is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

The first sketches of the future masterpiece appeared in the early 1840s. On the advice of the fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov, Fedotov decided to develop the plot and rework the sketches into a full-fledged canvas. After the painting was ready, the artist presented it to the Academy of Arts, where it was highly appreciated. In 1847, the "Fresh Cavalier" was presented to the public and caused a real sensation, bringing fame to its creator. But censorship immediately drew attention to the picture: the removal of lithographs from it was prohibited due to ... an irreverent image of the order.

Gloomy morning

All three names of the picture tell about its plot. We see an ordinary average official on the morning after receiving his first order and celebrating such an important event. Himself offending censorship, the Order of St. Stanislav of the 3rd degree was the youngest in the hierarchy of state awards and was often used to distinguish officials.

Such a small award contrasts on the canvas with the very appearance of the newly-made cavalier: a proud and swaggering facial expression, the pose of a Roman senator wrapped up as if in a toga, and not a shabby robe, and an order attached not to a uniform, but to the same robe - all this should evoke in the viewer a sense of contradiction and inconsistency between the event and its perception by the main character.

But the irony of the maid depicted to the left of the order bearer completely coincides with ours, the audience. A simple maid, in front of whom the gentleman exposes his robe, looks at him with undisguised mockery and defiantly holding the owner’s old worn boots in her hands. The comical image of the official, who imagines himself an important bird after receiving a small award, is emphasized by the papillots in his head (maybe, with a hero's hangover, they turn into a laurel crown?) And his bare feet.

Pavel Fedotov, Fresh Cavalier (1846)

The situation around also shows the contrast between the gentleman's attitude towards himself and the harsh reality. In the room of the order-bearer, furniture of various colors, a terrible mess reigns everywhere, things are scattered. On the table, we can see the sausage left over from the party, lying not on a plate, but on a newspaper, and not an easy one, but on Vedomosti of the St. Petersburg City Police. Skeletons of herring and shards of broken dishes are lying around the table. A guitar with broken strings leaned against a chair. A skinny mongrel cat is tearing at the upholstery of a chair.

All this taken together is a pitiful sight, but it does not prevent the newly minted gentleman from cherishing his ambitions. He dreams of being no worse than everyone else and keeping up with the fashion of the capital - this is what the curling irons, mirror and shaving accessories lying on the table tell us about. A fashionable book is a moralizing novel by Faddey Bulgarin, close to power, Ivan Vyzhigin. But the book is lying under the chair - it seems that our hero could not master it either.

The painting by Pavel Fedotov is incredibly rich in telling details (which generally distinguishes the everyday genre in painting). The “Fresh Cavalier” makes it possible to judge the life of St. Petersburg officials of the 1840s, who were able to receive an order, but actually live in poverty and are spiritually poor. Today, by the way, it is much more difficult to obtain an order than in 1846, but the morals, conceit and manners of bureaucrats have not changed very much. That is why we are interested in the artist Fedotov, who died 165 years ago.

Pavel Fedotov, "It's all cholera's fault!" (1848)

The painting “A Fresh Cavalier (Morning of an official who received the first cross)” by P. A. Fedotov, the first work of the domestic genre in Russian painting, was painted in 1847. The canvas was highly appreciated by critics and among the progressive intelligentsia.

In the plot and composition of the picture, the influence of English artists - masters of the everyday genre is clearly visible. On the canvas, we see an official who is hardly coming to his senses the next morning after a fun feast arranged on the occasion of his first order.

The official is depicted in a wretched environment, in an old dressing gown, unshod, with hairpins on his head and with an order fastened directly on the dressing gown. Haughtily and reluctantly, he argues about something with the cook, who shows him the fallen boots.

Before us is a typical representative of his environment - a corrupt bribe-taker and a slave to his boss. Immensely swaggering, he idolizes the order as if it were evidence of some unseen merit. Probably, in his dreams, he flew very high, but the fervent shout of the cook immediately returns him to his place.

The painting "The Fresh Cavalier" is an accurate reproduction of reality in its entirety. In addition to excellent mastery of writing technique, Fedotov demonstrates the subtlety of psychological characteristics. The artist depicts his hero with amazing sharpness and accuracy. At the same time, it is obvious that the artist, denouncing his character, at the same time sympathizes with him, treats him with mild humor.

In addition to the description of the painting by P. A. Fedotov “The Fresh Cavalier”, our website has collected many other descriptions of paintings by various artists, which can be used both in preparation for writing an essay on a painting, and simply for a more complete acquaintance with the work of famous masters of the past.

A genre scene from the life of a poor official holding a small position reflects the very small in size Fedotov's painting "The Fresh Cavalier", which was painted, one might say, in a caricature style in 1847.

And so, this official was presented the day before with his first award - an order - and now in his dreams he is already ascending the career ladder to the very top, presenting himself either as a mayor or as a governor ...

Probably in dreams, the newly-minted cavalier, tossing and turning in pastels for a long time at night, could not fall asleep, all the time remembering his “triumph” at the moment of presenting this expensive award, becoming the envy of his entourage as a cavalier of the order. Morning had barely dawned when the official had already jumped out of bed, throwing on a huge silk robe and wearing an order on it. He proudly and arrogantly assumed the pose of a Roman senator and examines himself in a mirror full of flies.

Fedotov portrays his hero in a somewhat caricatured way, and therefore, looking at the picture, we cannot help but smile a little. The petty official, having received the award, was already dreaming that now he would have a different life, and not the one that was hitherto in this sparsely furnished cluttered little room.

The comical image arises from the sharp contrast between dreams and reality. An employee in a dressing gown worn to holes stands barefoot and in hairpins on his head, but with an order. He brags about it in front of a maid who brought him polished but old boots. It is time for him to get ready for the service, but he really wants to prolong the pleasure of contemplating himself and fruitless fantasies. The maid looks at him condescendingly and mockingly, not even trying to hide it.

A terrible mess reigns in the room, all things are scattered. On a table covered with a light tablecloth with a bright red pattern, you can see sliced ​​sausage, lying not on a plate, but on a newspaper. Nearby are paper curlers and curling irons, which indicates that the hero is trying to look in the fashion of his time.

Bones from a herring, which the man probably ate for dinner, fell under the table. Sherds from broken dishes are also lying around here. The uniform was thrown on the chairs in the evening. On one of them, a thin, disheveled red cat rips through the worn upholstery.

From the painting "The Fresh Cavalier" one can judge the life of petty employees in the first half of the 19th century. She is full of irony. This is the artist's first completed oil painting. According to Fedotov, he depicted in his picture a poor official who receives little maintenance and constantly experiences "poverty and deprivation." This is clearly visible in the picture: variegated furniture, plank floor, worn dressing gown and worn boots. He rents a cheap room, and the maid, most likely, is the master's.

The artist depicts a maid with obvious sympathy. She is not bad-looking, still quite young and neat. She has a pleasant, round, folksy face. And all this emphasizes the contrast between the characters in the picture.

The official is ambitious and swaggering. He assumed the pose of a noble Roman, forgetting that he was wearing a robe, not a toga. Even his gesture, with which he points to his order, is copied from some magazine. His left hand rests on his side, also showing his imaginary "superiority".

Imitating the Greco-Roman heroes, the official stands, leaning on one leg, and proudly throws his head back. It seems that even his papillots sticking out on his head resemble the commander's victorious laurel wreath. He really feels majestic, despite all the wretchedness of his surroundings.

Today, this miniature painting by Pavel Fedotov "The Fresh Cavalier" is on display at the State Tretyakov Gallery. Its size is 48.2 by 42.5 cm. oil on canvas

But, noting the commonality of Gogol's and Fedotov's types, we must not forget about the specifics of literature and painting. The aristocrat from the painting "Breakfast of an Aristocrat" or the official from the painting "The Fresh Cavalier" is not a translation into the language of painting of Gogol's non-coppers. The heroes of Fedotov are not nostrils, not Khlestakovs, not Chichikovs. But they are also dead souls.
Perhaps, it is difficult to imagine so vividly and visibly a typical Nikolaev official without Fedotov's painting "The Fresh Cavalier". The swaggering official, boasting to the cook about the received cross, wants to show her his superiority. The master's proudly pompous posture is absurd, just like himself. His puffiness looks ridiculous and pitiful, and the cook, with undisguised mockery, shows him worn-out boots. Looking at the picture, we understand that Fedotov's "fresh gentleman", like Gogol's Khlestakov, is a petty official who wants to "play a role at least one inch higher than the one assigned to him."
The author of the picture, as if by chance, looked into the room, where everything is thrown without the slightest attention to simple decency and elementary decency. There are traces of yesterday's booze in everything: in the flabby face of an official, in scattered empty bottles, in a guitar with broken strings, clothes carelessly thrown on a chair, dangling suspenders ... quality still by Bryullov) is due to the fact that each item was supposed to complement the story about the life of the hero. Hence their ultimate concreteness - even a book lying on the floor is not just a book, but a very base novel by Faddey Bulgarin "Ivan Vyzhigin" (the author's name is diligently written out on the first page), the award is not just an order, but the Order of Stanislav.
Wanting to be precise, the artist simultaneously gives a capacious description of the poor spiritual world of the hero. Giving their "cues", these things do not interrupt each other, but put together: dishes, remnants of a feast, a guitar, a stretching cat - play a very important role. The artist depicts them with such objective expressiveness that they are beautiful in themselves, regardless of what exactly they have to tell about the chaotic life of the “fresh gentleman”.
As for the “program” of the work, the author stated it as follows: “The morning after the feast on the occasion of the order received. The new gentleman could not stand it: than the light put on his new dress on his dressing gown and proudly reminds the cook of his significance, but she mockingly shows him the only and perforated boots which she carried to clean."
After getting acquainted with the picture, it is difficult to imagine a more worthy fellow Khlestakov. And here and there, complete moral emptiness, on the one hand, and swaggering pretentiousness, on the other. In Gogol, it is expressed in the artistic word, while in Fedotov it is depicted in the language of painting.

Pavel FEDOTOV
FRESH CAVALIER
(Morning of an official who received the first cross the day before)
1846. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

C a gentleman”, or “Morning of an official who received the first cross” - a picture in which Fedotov first turned to oil technique. Perhaps that is why the work on it was carried out for quite a long time, although the idea was formed a long time ago, back in the sepia series. The new technique contributed to the emergence of a new impression - the complete realism, materiality of the depicted world. Fedotov worked on the painting as if he were painting a miniature, paying attention to the smallest details, leaving not a single fragment of space unfilled (critics later reproached him for this).

The action takes place in a cramped little room, crammed to capacity with broken furniture, broken dishes and empty bottles. Fedotov uses every detail to describe the character and habits of the person living here, right down to the title of the novel he is reading (“Ivan Vyzhigin” by F. Bulgarin - quite popular at that time, but a low-quality book). The remains of yesterday's "ceremonial" dinner eloquently flaunt on the table - a decanter of vodka, pieces of sausage, a candle end with tongs mixed with toiletries.

Under one table, a dog sleeps serenely, and under another - no less serene - one of the participants in yesterday's feast, sleepily watching the scene unfolding in front of him. In the midst of this chaos, the figure of a newly-made order bearer proudly rises. Apparently, in his dreams, “he ascended higher as the head of the recalcitrant Pillar of Alexandria”, draped himself in a greasy robe, as in an antique toga, and imagines himself to be nothing less than the greatest hero of antiquity. A leg protruding forward, an arrogant look, a proudly raised head ... He is downright puffed up with pride and swagger, and he is not at all embarrassed that his appearance - in papillottes and a stale dressing gown - somewhat does not correspond to the traditional idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe ancient hero.

And the cook demonstrates her leaky soles to her master, not at all paying attention to the new order. She knows his price, and it is she who is the true mistress in this house. “Where there is a bad connection, there is dirt on a great holiday ...” - this is how Fedotov begins a poetic explanation for his picture, hinting at the “hazing” of an official and a servant.

Morning of an official who received the first cross the day before.
Sketch. 1844. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The famous critic Vladimir Stasov saw a tragic and even scary content in the comic scene: “He is fierce and ruthless,” he writes about the main character, “he will drown anyone and whatever he wants, and not a single wrinkle on his face will flinch. Anger, swagger, completely vulgar life - all this is present in this face, in this pose and the figure of an inveterate official in a dressing gown and barefoot, in hairpins and with an order on his chest.

However, Fedotov himself was still not so unambiguous about his work. Yes, he sharply ridicules his hero, but at the same time justifies and pities him in some way. In any case, Fedotov’s letter to Count Musin-Pushkin has been preserved: “... isn’t it natural that where there is constant scarcity and deprivation, there the expression of the joy of the reward will come to childishness to rush around with it day and night.”

Perhaps one should believe the opinion of Benois, who believed that, in essence, Fedotov was always at the same time with his heroes ...